THEY'VE been lashed by gales off Taiwan, enveloped in fog off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and faced the threat of icebergs in the North Atlantic.

At the weekend Liverpool gave a hero's welcome for the weary crew of the yacht Hull & Humber which ended up second overall in the 35,000-mile Clipper Round the World yacht race, following an exciting finish in the Mersey estuary in the early hours of Saturday.

Read our reporter's blog of life on board during the final stage>>

As each boat sailed into the port's Albert Dock to music chosen by the skippers, a 5,000-strong crowd on the quayside roared in appreciation.

The cat-and-mouse game between the crews had continued right until the end of the final race, Hull & Humber doggedly pursuing Singapore, in second place, as night fell over the Irish Sea.

Despite her best efforts and remaining tantalisingly close, Singapore eluded her and New York, the overall winner, went on to win the last stage.

In port, the crew celebrated with champagne, with skipper Danny Watson making a personal presentation before a formal prize-giving at Liverpool's St George's Hall before hundreds of family and friends.

For the round-the-worlders one of the biggest highlights followed a dramatic medical evacuation at sea when teenage crew member Sam Willis was taken ashore in Brazil with suspected appendicitis.

From being 100 miles behind, they managed to claw their way up the table, finally crossing the line first on the South Atlantic leg – although they were later slapped with a four-hour time penalty, depriving them of a podium position.

The trip was all about physical and mental endurance and bad weather meant being catapulted out of bunks, seasickness and putting on wet, cold clothes.

Retired truck driver Fred Hulcoop, 62, from Bristol, who never sailed before the trip, suffered a broken nose, the early stages of frostbite in his feet and needed surgery for a torn tendon.

He said he was now thinking of buying a narrow boat, adding: "In a masochistic way I have enjoyed it all."

Quentin Thompson, from Beverley, lost two stones on the trip and said he was looking forward to just being able to go out on a bicycle.

He said: "As a social experience it is unbelievable we haven't drawn the knives, when you consider the TV show Big Brother has 20,000 sq ft and we had about 50 sq ft."

It has been a life-changing experience for Brendan DeCordova, 24, who did a leg as part of the One Hull Tag Team, which selected 10 youngsters from the city to take part.

He was working in Asda when the call came – and is now about to start training as an adventure instructor.

"I've loved every minute of it," he said.
SEE THE NEXT PAGE FOR ALEXANDRA'S BLOG OF WHAT HAPPENED ON BOARD